I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 7 weeks) & R&B (#1); 1968
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Fifteen years after Gladys Knight & The Pips got together in Atlanta, GA, they finally had a #1 R&B monster in I Heard It Through The Grapevine. A year later, the group was relaxing at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas when they heard Grapevine playing on the house system…with Marvin Gaye on vocals!
In truth, the Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong composition was first recorded by The Miracles, then the Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye, however, the Pips’ version was released first.
Norman laid down Marvin’s Ray Charles-like rendition in the first half of 1967, yet couldn’t convince label head Berry Gordy, Jr. to release it. After Gladys’ success with Grapevine, Whitfield lobbied again and Gaye’s take was finally included on his In The Groove album.
A call from Chicago deejay E. Rodney Jones raving about Grapevine prompted a single release. Whitfield’s insistence paid off when Gaye’s Grapevine hit #1 and became Motown’s biggest selling single to date.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Norman Whitfield
Lyrics Written by:
- Norman Whitfield
- Barrett Strong
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).